Egypt - Tours - Advice, Help?

negatron · 26th July 2012, 2:52 PM

Hi all,

Was chatting with mom last night and turns out one of the things she's put off since her youth was to go to Egypt to see the pyramids.

I figured that with some time off in Sep-Oct I might take a couple of weeks off work and join a tour with her so that she gets to tick it off her list.

The initial idea was to drop into Singapore for a day to hello some relos and then join up a tour similar to this Link

But the timings seem to be a bit off and a lot of the tours won't have a enough numbers for a confirmed go yet (we leave a deposit and then if they don't get numbers they just refund you)

i was hoping the ocow collective might be able to point me to a egypt land tour mob that I can fly direct to egypt and join a tour there for similar sights / price.

travel advice, things to see / do will also be cool!

Bear in mind its a trip with mom, so think what do lil old ladies like to see / do?

_slappy_dn · 26th July 2012, 3:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by negatron

Hi all,

Was chatting with mom last night and turns out one of the things she's put off since her youth was to go to Egypt to see the pyramids.

I figured that with some time off in Sep-Oct I might take a couple of weeks off work and join a tour with her so that she gets to tick it off her list.

The initial idea was to drop into Singapore for a day to hello some relos and then join up a tour similar to this Link

But the timings seem to be a bit off and a lot of the tours won't have a enough numbers for a confirmed go yet (we leave a deposit and then if they don't get numbers they just refund you)

i was hoping the ocow collective might be able to point me to a egypt land tour mob that I can fly direct to egypt and join a tour there for similar sights / price.

travel advice, things to see / do will also be cool!

Bear in mind its a trip with mom, so think what do lil old ladies like to see / do?

It doesnt say how much it is?

These guys all are small group operators who have tours there.

Intrepid - as it sounds, more adventurous travelling, basic accommodation, maybe not for your mum.

Peregrine, owned by the same people as intrepid, more comfortable.

On the Go - Basically you can choose your comfort level, and they have some great tours, specialise in Egypt.

Insight - 4 - 5 star, recently started doing Egypt.

I would personally hit up an on the go tour that went to Jordan as well. and make sure you go to Abu Simbel.

negatron · 26th July 2012, 3:09 PM

The out of SG tour was SGD ~$2200 which is about ~$1760, inc flights and all food and transfers (but no "tips" to the local guides).

The flights to Sg out of Melb were about 950 for me and 550 for mom (she was chipping in with some FF points).

So far I found some flights Melb -> Cairo for ~ $1650.

Meaning If the land tour component is ~ 500-800 (less coz you have to factor in western tours don't include all meals) it works about similar...

mopiko · 31st July 2012, 2:04 PM

Haven't looked at the tours you're looking at but my experience was that it was good, but a very tiring trip. Everyone is hassling you all the time, and there doesn't appear to be a lot else to do other than touristy things - go see a temple, pyramid, obelisk, lots of pictures of smiting, etc etc.

Granted some of it is quite amazing - seeing original paint in some of the temples for example. and the level of detail that varies depending on the Pharaoh that built it.

factor in a few things:

- tips. Everyone wants a tip. EVERYONE. From your guide, to the guy that points, to the guy that nods in approval.... keep some small change for those that actually deserve it.
- apparently you can't drink the water so will have to keep buying water. A relatively minor expense but should be noted. Depending how sensitive you are, you might even have to brush your teeth with bottled water.
- look closely at how long you get at each place. Personally I never felt rushed except at the Cairo museum, but a couple of others did.
- depending on what sort of trip you are after (just seeing stuff), consider a relaxing end in Dahab or Sharm El Sheik. You can just chill, do a bit of snorkling, beach type stuff, eat cheap seafood, etc.
- oh and factor in the 'optionals' and the commission sales 'attractions'. Generally if you don't do an optional thing you sit at a hotel. I walked around at every stop but found very little of interest to be honest.

Oh and if someone approaches you, you're not from Australia and they are not an artist...

negatron · 1st August 2012, 3:48 PM

Thansk for the feedback mopiko, though I didn't quite get the last bit about artists.

Oh and what company / tour group did you go with?

mopiko · 1st August 2012, 4:42 PM

ha sorry so basically walking through Cairo, they attempt the following:

Guy: Hi are you from Australia?
You: Yes
Guy: Oh my brother/sister/cousin/significant other lives in Australia (establish link to become bffs)
You: Oh wow that's great
Guy: ...more talk... you should come see my art, I am an artist. Not a scam
You: Okay
Guy: Look at my hand drawn rare paintings where the lines are dead straight and not possibly from a printer. Do you also want to buy 1000 ton statue to take back with you? (pile on pressure to buy at least something useless).

Hilariously who hadn't learnt his lines decided he would establish his connection by handing us random business cards from Australia and then tried to drag us to a shop...

I went with TravelTalk. They're more a budget ended tour for younger people but we did have a couple of older people. All the tours more or less do the same thing. The difference is generally your level of transport, what is or isn't included and what they have for the optionals. Can't really comment if the more expensive tours spend longer at certain sites, but I'd imagine they would have to cater for their main age demographic. On my tour, most of us were more or less happy with the time spent at each site, except an older single lady who was late back to the bus every time and complained we didn't have enough time. In my opinion that was half due to her flaffing about a lot and half leaving no stone unturned and wanting to see and do everything - in which case you could probably spend a day or two at each site...

One thing I did find is my guide generally was pretty spot on when recommending a few things. For example, on my itinerary was the Unfinished Obelisk (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unfinished_obelisk). We had to go because a couple of people were insistent on seeing it, but he advised it wasn't worth the time or money. Even from the accounts of a keen all things Egyptian lover, he was right. Another was that it wasn't worth going into Pyramid. Again he was pretty much right, although this was mainly due to the time we had at the pyramids. By the time you went in and out with the lines there wasn't much time to just walk around and take it in.

Thudd · 19th September 2012, 9:32 AM

I did 5 weeks through Egypt, organised and did the whole thing myself without any tours. It is possible, rewarding - but takes some work and if you can't hack haggling then just go with a tour and forget about it.

I'd go back in a heartbeat and I wouldn't do a tour the second time either.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mopiko

Another was that it wasn't worth going into Pyramid.

Completely and utterly disagree. If you have the time and opportunity to go inside any of the pyramids, but the great pyramid in particular, do not under any circumstances miss the chance.

nav12c · 28th September 2012, 9:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mopiko

I went with TravelTalk.

I went with the same mob 3 years ago. Did the Nile cruise option, rather than the land or felucca. Highly recommended. It's not the luxury option, accommodation is generally 3 star level, but you'll have a lot of fun.

negatron · 28th September 2012, 1:46 PM

update:

We booked with a local agency called Memphis Travel which was highly reviwed ni trapadvisor.

Going for the nile cruise option so am hoping that its good.

Will post pics when I get back!

MR CHILLED · 30th September 2012, 6:03 PM

I'm very envious, this is probably my most wanted to go places at the moment.

fatty1 · 30th September 2012, 7:41 PM

I did a 3 week tour with "on the go" the name says it all, if you want to see a lot of things with little hassel go with them. We had a fantastic tour with a varying age limit, the guide we tipped at the end of the trip he also told us who to and not to avoid when shopping.

Jon187 · 8th October 2012, 9:19 AM

We did a 22-day Honeymoon in Egypt in early 2009. We booked through Anatolia Travel (a Canadian based operator).

Great time and the Nile cruise is a nice way to cover some ground in style while seeing all the sites along the way. The Red Sea has the best diving in the world (IMHO) so consider some time there if that interests you (but watch out for the sharks - they killed a few people a year or so ago).

J

26th July 2012, 2:52 PM	#1
negatron Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 930	Egypt - Tours - Advice, Help? Hi all, Was chatting with mom last night and turns out one of the things she's put off since her youth was to go to Egypt to see the pyramids. I figured that with some time off in Sep-Oct I might take a couple of weeks off work and join a tour with her so that she gets to tick it off her list. The initial idea was to drop into Singapore for a day to hello some relos and then join up a tour similar to this Link But the timings seem to be a bit off and a lot of the tours won't have a enough numbers for a confirmed go yet (we leave a deposit and then if they don't get numbers they just refund you) i was hoping the ocow collective might be able to point me to a egypt land tour mob that I can fly direct to egypt and join a tour there for similar sights / price. travel advice, things to see / do will also be cool! Bear in mind its a trip with mom, so think what do lil old ladies like to see / do?

30th September 2012, 6:03 PM	#10
MR CHILLED D'oh! Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Keep it up! :D Posts: 90,102	I'm very envious, this is probably my most wanted to go places at the moment. __________________ Co2 is weightless apparently. Be careful what you vote for. Howard on the economy: ''When the Prime Minister and the Treasurer and others tell you that the Australian economy is doing better than most – they are right,'' Asked how cash payments of baby bonus and school bonus are any different, Opposition Leader tony abbott says 'well look, they just are.'

30th September 2012, 7:41 PM	#11
fatty1 Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 71	I did a 3 week tour with "on the go" the name says it all, if you want to see a lot of things with little hassel go with them. We had a fantastic tour with a varying age limit, the guide we tipped at the end of the trip he also told us who to and not to avoid when shopping. __________________ Successful Trades : 4 $1130

8th October 2012, 9:19 AM	#12
Jon187 Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Maroubra, NSW Posts: 729	We did a 22-day Honeymoon in Egypt in early 2009. We booked through Anatolia Travel (a Canadian based operator). Great time and the Nile cruise is a nice way to cover some ground in style while seeing all the sites along the way. The Red Sea has the best diving in the world (IMHO) so consider some time there if that interests you (but watch out for the sharks - they killed a few people a year or so ago). J __________________ Wow I suck at BFBC2

26th July 2012, 3:09 PM	#3
negatron Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 930	The out of SG tour was SGD ~$2200 which is about ~$1760, inc flights and all food and transfers (but no "tips" to the local guides). The flights to Sg out of Melb were about 950 for me and 550 for mom (she was chipping in with some FF points). So far I found some flights Melb -> Cairo for ~ $1650. Meaning If the land tour component is ~ 500-800 (less coz you have to factor in western tours don't include all meals) it works about similar...

31st July 2012, 2:04 PM	#4
mopiko Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 436	Haven't looked at the tours you're looking at but my experience was that it was good, but a very tiring trip. Everyone is hassling you all the time, and there doesn't appear to be a lot else to do other than touristy things - go see a temple, pyramid, obelisk, lots of pictures of smiting, etc etc. Granted some of it is quite amazing - seeing original paint in some of the temples for example. and the level of detail that varies depending on the Pharaoh that built it. factor in a few things: - tips. Everyone wants a tip. EVERYONE. From your guide, to the guy that points, to the guy that nods in approval.... keep some small change for those that actually deserve it. - apparently you can't drink the water so will have to keep buying water. A relatively minor expense but should be noted. Depending how sensitive you are, you might even have to brush your teeth with bottled water. - look closely at how long you get at each place. Personally I never felt rushed except at the Cairo museum, but a couple of others did. - depending on what sort of trip you are after (just seeing stuff), consider a relaxing end in Dahab or Sharm El Sheik. You can just chill, do a bit of snorkling, beach type stuff, eat cheap seafood, etc. - oh and factor in the 'optionals' and the commission sales 'attractions'. Generally if you don't do an optional thing you sit at a hotel. I walked around at every stop but found very little of interest to be honest. Oh and if someone approaches you, you're not from Australia and they are not an artist...

1st August 2012, 3:48 PM	#5
negatron Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 930	Thansk for the feedback mopiko, though I didn't quite get the last bit about artists. Oh and what company / tour group did you go with?

1st August 2012, 4:42 PM	#6
mopiko Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 436	ha sorry so basically walking through Cairo, they attempt the following: Guy: Hi are you from Australia? You: Yes Guy: Oh my brother/sister/cousin/significant other lives in Australia (establish link to become bffs) You: Oh wow that's great Guy: ...more talk... you should come see my art, I am an artist. Not a scam You: Okay Guy: Look at my hand drawn rare paintings where the lines are dead straight and not possibly from a printer. Do you also want to buy 1000 ton statue to take back with you? (pile on pressure to buy at least something useless). Hilariously who hadn't learnt his lines decided he would establish his connection by handing us random business cards from Australia and then tried to drag us to a shop... I went with TravelTalk. They're more a budget ended tour for younger people but we did have a couple of older people. All the tours more or less do the same thing. The difference is generally your level of transport, what is or isn't included and what they have for the optionals. Can't really comment if the more expensive tours spend longer at certain sites, but I'd imagine they would have to cater for their main age demographic. On my tour, most of us were more or less happy with the time spent at each site, except an older single lady who was late back to the bus every time and complained we didn't have enough time. In my opinion that was half due to her flaffing about a lot and half leaving no stone unturned and wanting to see and do everything - in which case you could probably spend a day or two at each site... One thing I did find is my guide generally was pretty spot on when recommending a few things. For example, on my itinerary was the Unfinished Obelisk (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unfinished_obelisk). We had to go because a couple of people were insistent on seeing it, but he advised it wasn't worth the time or money. Even from the accounts of a keen all things Egyptian lover, he was right. Another was that it wasn't worth going into Pyramid. Again he was pretty much right, although this was mainly due to the time we had at the pyramids. By the time you went in and out with the lines there wasn't much time to just walk around and take it in.

28th September 2012, 1:46 PM	#9
negatron Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 930	update: We booked with a local agency called Memphis Travel which was highly reviwed ni trapadvisor. Going for the nile cruise option so am hoping that its good. Will post pics when I get back!